SHIT: The Musical

Misty Mountain Music—Théâtre Cercle Molière

You have a musical with a ludicrous plot, a dysfunctional setting and a curmudgeonly character—what could possibly go wrong? If all goes well, nothing with results boasting fun, whacky antics and jokes—but something does go wrong.

Donnie Baxter’s voice isn’t strong enough to penetrate the hall, so those of us near the back have a very hard time hearing. The auditorium’s ambient musical accompaniment gives an adequate volume but it drowns out Baxter’s voice…

…and this turns out to be a blessing! The content is funny and the lyrics are great, BUT, Baxter can’t sing! I’ve sung a lot of karaoke in my life and almost everyone I’ve sang with, or listened to, sounds better than Baxter, and that’s after four hours of hard liquor in the bars!

Seriously, the voice doesn’t just lilt off-key, it seems to waffle independently of the music. As a musical, the singing forms an integral part of the show, and it needs to hold the show. Other than this major flaw, the experience would have been quite good. My suggestion to Baxter is to hire an actual singer—do the “presentation” yourself and have someone else sing the songs.

Ray Yuen